Join us at Sunset Farm this Saturday from 10am - 11am for a Spring farm tour where you can learn about our sustainable farming practices and seasonal growing tips for home gardeners! Participants will journey through the farm from seed to harvest and have a chance to taste some of our new veggies like cherry tomatoes! After the tour, be sure to browse our selection of produce at the Farm Stand and grab some of the last carrots of the season!

Interested in diving deeper into gardening with your local neighbors and expert farmers? Next Saturday, May 2nd, from 9:30am - 11am we will be hosting Trowel & Tea : Garden Talk in Victorian fashion with light bites of pastries and tea as we explore topics like plant health, soil fertility, and growing nutritious food on a small scale. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in an experiential gardening activity, so be prepared to get your hands dirty!

Stay tuned for updates on more community events happening at Sunset Farm this Spring like a community Blackberry Planting Day and Kids Farm Adventure! In addition to fun and educational activities, be sure to get your fill of farm fresh vegetables stocked daily in our Grab-n-Go, self-serve cooler! A quick round of radishes and arugula will soon hit the shelves as we wait for more Spring veggies like eggplant and bell peppers!

In Season : Cherry Tomatoes, Banana Peppers, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Parsley, Green Onion, Fennel, and Carrots (limited)

This week at Sunset Farm we were able to uncover many happy surprises! After assessing the field after the hard freeze, we were pleasantly surprised that many of our crops covered by frost cloth still seemed to be full of life. Our plants in the high tunnel and seedlings in the greenhouse were also unphased! Not as a surprise, crops left uncovered are showing signs of wilting and frost burn. However, with such a drastic drop in temperature compared to a relatively warm winter season this year, we can’t help but be filled with a sense of gratitude for the resiliency of nature!

As we are still expecting freezing weather this weekend, our crops will remain covered until we are in the clear. Until then, we also find ourselves keeping warm in the greenhouse as we continue to prepare for the dawning of Spring! This week we are seeding our first rounds of squash, zucchini, eggplant, and flowers. Many of these crops will make their home in our high tunnel as we slowly phase out winter vegetables. Farmer Sarah is particularly excited to bring back the flower patch and all of the bees and butterflies that drop in for a sweet, sappy snack!

Although plants can show signs of stress later in their life after prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, we are optimistic that our crops will continue producing beautiful produce. In anticipation of another cold spell, Farmer Sarah will not be hosting the Farm Stand this Saturday. However, she plans to stock the Grab-n-Go coolers so you can come at your convenience. Stay tuned next week to get updates on Spring preparation and seedlings we will be planting post-freeze!

In Season: Baby Carrots, Spinach, Celery, Fennel, Green Onions, Green Cabbage, Parsley, Collard Greens, Curly Kale, Tuscan Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Radishes

Zucchini is officially back in season! Since zucchini and most summer squashes are fairly quick growers, they are often among the first spring vegetables to make their way to the Farm Stand. We are excited to offer you both a green and yellow zucchini variety. They’re both tender with a nutty and mildly sweet flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Farmer Anne loves to pop them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes for an easy side dish.

We spotted the first tiny fruits on our cucumber vines in the high tunnel this week! Did you know that cucumbers are in the Cucurbit family along with other crops like zucchini, butternuts, and summer squashes? This family thrives in warmer weather and is typically killed by frosts which is why you’ll see these crops in season during spring and summer. In order to make sure we have a steady supply of cucumbers for you throughout both seasons, we just planted another 100 feet of cucumber plants in the field last week! We hope you’re just as excited as we are for cucumbers to make their way back into season.

While a large part of what we do is to grow and harvest crops for our community, planting cover crops is an integral part in managing the health of our soil. Cover crops allow us to give sections of our farm a break from production while simultaneously improving the health and structure of the soil. We just planted one of the back sections with a cowpea cover crop for the season. As the cowpeas grow (above), they will fix beneficial nitrogen to the soil, reduce soil erosion, crowd out weeds, and eventually when they are mowed down, add organic matter to the soil.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Romaine, Red Romaine, Zucchini, Swiss Chard, Fennel, Beets, Carrots, Curly Kale, Dino Kale, Scallions, and Salad Mix.

Coming Soon: Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Peppers

We are excited to share that the high tunnel is fully planted with warm season crops! We have three beds planted with tomatoes in addition to two beds each of peppers and cucumbers. Since the high tunnel gives us a little more control over temperature while offering protection from the elements, we were able to plant successions of these crops a little earlier than in the field. This means you’ll see these veggies make their way to your plate a little sooner! While the peppers and cucumbers are still fairly young, our tomatoes are already about three feet tall and flowering! We can’t wait to harvest and share these with you. 

Remember all of the flower varieties that we started in the greenhouse back in February? We were able to transplant them in the field this week! Farmer Anne is incredibly excited for this year’s flower patch and can’t wait to start harvesting and offering cut flower bouquets at the Farm Stand. This year our goal is to grow more variety than we have in the past to add more visual interest to bouquets while also experimenting with new flowers. You’ll see some favorites like zinnias and marigolds mixed with newer ones like celosia, sweet pea, and agrostemma. We’ll make sure to keep you updated on their growth! 

While we have leaner offerings again this week we are excited to share that zucchini will be making its way to the Farm Stand very soon! Our zucchini is producing both male and female blossoms which means it's only a matter of time before the fruit matures to harvesting size. Zucchini is a fairly quick grower so we expect to be able to have the first sizable harvest for you within the next 1-2 weeks. Make sure to keep an eye out! 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Salad Mix, Carrots, Scallions, Dino Kale, Curly Kale, and Collard Greens.

Spring is the perfect time to start a home garden! If you’ve been itching to get one planted, we invite you to join Farmer Matt for our Seasonal Gardening Series on Saturday, March 22nd, from 10:30-11:30am. This introductory gardening class will cover our tried and true spring season crops along with timelines for planting. We’ll also discuss direct seeding versus transplanting in addition to caring for your plants from seed through harvest. The cost of the class includes a plant that each participant can take home to plant in their garden. This class is open to the public but there is a special discount for Jordan Ranch residents (reach out to us for the discount code - JordanRanch@Agmenity.com). Tickets can be purchased here. 

We are excited to share that we planted the first round of tomatoes in the high tunnel! As you can see in the photo above, we remove the bottom leaves and branches before transplanting them. This allows us to plant them as deeply as possible and create a stronger root system since tomato stems have the ability to shoot out additional root growth. It also helps with air circulation which reduces the risk for damage from diseases and pests. Now comes the hard part…waiting for the first tomato harvest! 

Now that the last frost date has passed, we were able to get the first round of zucchini planted in the field. Since zucchini and other warm season crops like summer squashes and cucumbers are fairly quick growers, we typically plant multiple successions throughout the season in order to ensure a steady harvest. This also allows us to mitigate any losses that we may encounter due to pests or weather. We can’t wait to share the first zucchini of the season with you! 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Napa Cabbage, Kale, Collard Greens, Asian Spinach, Romaine Lettuce, Green Butter Lettuce, Red Romaine Lettuce, Salad Mix, Carrots, Beets, Fennel, Cauliflower, Scallions, Kohlrabi, Cilantro, and Broccoli (limited)

We’ve been seeding up a storm in the greenhouse in preparation for the spring season! Now that our tomatoes and peppers are happily growing away, it’s time to plant cucumbers, zucchini, and yellow squashes. These varietals are much quicker growers than tomatoes and peppers so they don’t need as early of a start. This will be the first of many successions of cucumbers and squashes that will carry us through spring and summer. You can expect to see them trickling back into season in early April.

An abundance of flower varieties were also planted in the greenhouse this week! One of our favorite spring traditions on the farm is to grow a couple of cut flower beds for bouquets. This year, we’re focusing on planting smaller quantities of more flower varieties than we have in the past. We’ll have some reliable favorites like zinnias and marigolds with newer ones like yarrow and pincushion flowers. If all goes well, we should have cut flower bouquets at the Farm Stand just in time for Mother’s Day!

Aside from all of the seed starting, we took some time to use the flame weeder in some of our beds in preparation for spring planting. The flame weeder is a great way for us to keep weeds in check without disturbing the soil. An added bonus is that it’s much quicker than our other weeding methods! The intense heat generated by the flame weeder sears the leaves of the weeds which causes the plant to die back. As the plant decays, it adds nutrients back to the soil which will benefit future spring crops.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Carrots, Beets, Salad Mix, Butter Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Komatsuna, Swiss Chard, Cone Cabbage, Bok Choy, Kale, Collard Greens, Cilantro, Scallions, Fennel, Kohlrabi, Cauliflower, and Broccoli (limited)

We are delighted to share that our first Farm Tour of the fall season will be on Saturday, October 12th at 10:30am! This educational stroll will include a preview of all of our fall crops in both the field and the high tunnel. You’ll also have the opportunity to check in on the progress of our fall tomatoes and ask us when your favorite veggies will be making their way back into season. Our Farm Tours are open to the public and free of charge. We would love to see you there!

Remember all of the varieties we direct-seeded in the high tunnel last week? As you can see below, some of them are already germinating! Most of what we planted will grow fairly quickly and will be ready for harvesting in the next few weeks. You can expect to see French breakfast radishes and arugula make their way into season first followed by salad mix and Hakurei turnips. Though we seeded carrots here as well, they have a slower germination rate and longer growing period. We’ll have a better idea of our carrot timeline once they begin to germinate.

We’ve reached the point in the year when our summer crops are starting to slow down and will eventually be phased out. You might have noticed that cucumbers are now out of season and we only have limited amounts of zucchini this week. We encourage you to enjoy the remaining summer crops as much as possible before they make their way out of season over the next few weeks! If you’re curious how to prepare any of the produce we’re currently harvesting, you can always ask us during our Saturday Farm Stand from 9am-noon or reach out on Instagram or Facebook. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Baby Butternuts, Korean Melons, Zucchini (limited), Asian Eggplant, Roselle Greens, Okra, and Long Beans.

Coming Soon: Arugula, Radishes, Salad Mix, and Hakurei Turnips

We have so many crops about to make their way into season and we would love to share a sneak peek with you at our next Farm Tour! Come join us on Saturday, April 13th at 10:30am for a spring stroll around the farm as we explore the new crops in the high tunnel and the field. You’ll get to see our baby tomatoes and cucumbers in addition to our beautiful blooming flowers. And, you’ll get to sample some first-of-the-season summer squashes including our stunning yellow zucchini. Our tours are open to the public and suitable for all ages. We can’t wait to see you! 

We are thrilled to announce that zucchini has made its way into season at the Farm Stand! This first wave of zucchini is a dark green variety called Dunja. It has a nutty and mildly sweet flavor and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. If you want something refreshing for these warm spring days, we recommend trying a zucchini carpaccio (recipe here). For a simple and flavorful side dish, Farmer Anna recommends cutting zucchini in half lengthwise, grilling it, and pairing it with an herb butter. 

Beets have also made their way into season this week! This root veggie has a distinct earthiness that pairs well with citrus, fresh herbs, goat cheese, and nuts. Beets are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in sweet recipes (like this beet, apple, and carrot cake) as well as savory ones. Farmer Anna recommends roasting or steaming beets and adding them to a batch of hummus. Or, you could try pickling them and adding them to salads and sandwiches. You can find beets at the Farm Stand beginning this weekend!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Zucchini, Beets, Cucumbers, Cutting Celery, Spring Onions, Salad Mix, Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, and Cilantro. 

Coming Soon: Summer Squashes and Tomatoes

Spring planting continued in the high tunnel this week with a few different pepper varieties! We’ve had great success planting our peppers in the high tunnel over the past couple of years due to the protection it provides from excess moisture. And, our hope is that it allows us to extend pepper season well into the summer since we will be able to install a shade cloth over the top. This round of peppers focused mostly on sweet varieties like Escamillo and Lunch Box. We also planted Shishitos and Poblanos and will be adding a few hot varieties within the next few weeks.

We are getting incredibly close to our first zucchini harvest of the season! As you can see in the photo below, our plants are just starting to form buds which means it’s only a matter of time before we’re able to start harvesting. Did you know that zucchini, along with all of the other squash varieties that we grow, depend on pollinators in order to produce fruit? Pollinators help to transfer pollen from the male blossoms to the female ones. Once pollinated, the tiny zucchini at the base of the female blossom is able to grow.

In addition to peppers, we planted the first succession of cucumbers (below). This round is made up entirely of slicing varieties and is split between the field and the high tunnel. Since cucumbers are vining plants, we’ll be adding trellis support for them soon. The trellis will allow us to take advantage of the vertical growing space and will make it much easier to harvest once the time comes. Even though we just planted these last week, we’re already seeing the first buds emerge!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Spring Onions, Salad Mix, Arugula, Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, Fennel, Dill, and Marigold Bouquets

Coming Soon: Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Summer Squashes

Come celebrate the arrival of spring during our next Farm Tour on Saturday, March 16th at 10:30am! We’ve been busy planting crops for the upcoming season and are so excited to share a preview of what we’ll be growing over the next few months. As always, this tour will include a sampling of veggies that are in season at the Farm Stand like our peppery arugula. Our tours are open to the public and free of charge. We look forward to seeing you there!

Can you believe it’s already time to plant tomatoes?! Now that we’re past our last frost date for the season, it’s time to get them in the ground. As you can see in the photo below, our tomatoes are verdant, lush, and ready to be planted! We’ll be growing a mix of cherry and slicing varieties and will be splitting them between the high tunnel and the field. Here are the varieties you can expect to see this spring: Sun Gold, Cherry Bomb, Valencia, Clementine, and Galahad. 

Though our first succession of cucumbers, zucchinis, and summer squashes just went in the ground, they will start trickling into season before you know it. All of these warm season favorites are in the cucurbit family and are quick growers, especially when the soil is warm! Since they grow fairly quickly, we typically plant multiple successions throughout the season in order to ensure a steady supply. You can expect to see the first zucchini, summer squashes, and cucumbers arrive at the Farm Stand in about a month.

In Season at the Farm Stand: Arugula, Lettuce, Carrots, Fennel, Collard Greens, Kale, Spring Onions, Dill, and Marigold Bouquets 

Coming Soon: Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Summer Squashes

Did you know that we have an in-person Farm Stand every Saturday in addition to our self-serve option? If you prefer to chat with us while you pick up your produce, we invite you to drop by the farm porch on Saturdays from 9am-noon. This is a great option if you have questions about preparing our veggies or want a sneak peek of what we’ll be harvesting soon. If you aren’t able to make it out on Saturdays, you always have the self-serve option available to you 24/7. We have instructions posted by the iPad for your convenience!

We planted the first succession of zucchini over the weekend since we’re past our last frost date. The variety we planted is called Dunja and it is one of our favorites due to its reliability and great flavor. It produces high yields of straight, dark-green colored zucchini. Since zucchini is a fairly quick grower, we should be making the first harvest in about a month. We hope you’re as excited as we are to see them make their way back into season!

The farm is currently in what we call a “shoulder season”. Many of our winter crops like broccoli and cauliflower are being phased out as the weather gradually warms up while spring crops are being transplanted in their place. We’ll have lean offerings over the next couple of weeks as our spring crops have a chance to begin producing. You can expect to see arugula, radishes and lettuce make their way into season in the next week or two!

In Season at the Farm Stand: Carrots, Fennel, Collard Greens, Kale, Spring Onions, Dill, and Marigold Bouquets 

Coming Soon: Arugula, Radishes, Lettuce

We’re just beginning to sow seeds for fall in the greenhouse! So far we’ve planted two different winter squashes: Waltham butternut and a smooth-skinned personal pie pumpkin. As you can see in the photo above, the butternuts are already beginning to germinate. This butternut variety takes around 90-100 days to mature so our hope is to have them ready for you by Thanksgiving. We’ll make sure to keep you updated on their progress!

Volunteer Spotlight

Meet one of our hardworking volunteers, Shanaz! Every week Shanaz braves the heat with us, helping with various farm tasks as well as the Saturday Farm Stand. After retiring and longing to spend more time outdoors, she found her way to the farm to volunteer. Shanaz has her own garden at home, growing various veggies and herbs. Her favorite crop in season right now is eggplant. She loves cooking with it and even snacking on it raw! If you’re interested in volunteering with us, send us an email at JordanRanch@Agmenity.com. 

Zucchini is making its way back into season! This variety is called “Dunja” and it’s a standard dark-green zucchini with a nutty flavor. Since we’re just beginning to harvest from our plants, we will have a limited amount of zucchini for you at the Farm Stand this weekend. One of our favorite things about zucchini is that it can be used in both sweet and savory recipes! If you’re longing for fall, we recommend whipping up a batch of zucchini muffins or bread spiced with cinnamon and ginger. 

In Season at the Farm Stand: Zucchini (limited), Malabar Spinach, Armenian Cucumbers, Eggplants, Okra, Sweet Peppers, Serrano Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers (limited), and Cut Flower Bouquets (limited and only on Saturdays).